Monday Headlines – Week 1

MIA: Dolphins WR DeVante Parker hopes to be ready Week 2

Dolphins coach Adam Gase said he “was close” to activating wide receiver DeVante Parker for Miami’s opener in Seattle. Yet, Gase could not assure that Parker will be ready for Sunday’s game in New England.

“We just want to make sure we get him as close as possible where feel we’re not going to have another setback,” Gase said. “Is it going to be this week? I would love it. We need him to practice, we need him to push himself. I know he’s trying to do that. I see how he’s rehabbing, I see how he’s working out, he’s running. It’s just how everybody feels right before that game.”

Fantasy Impact:
Parker, a second year player from Louisville, has been in and out of practice for most of training came while dealing with a hamstring issue. He was on the field for the first time all week on Friday in Seattle but was limited. Parker said today he feels like he’s “close” to 100 percent.

MIN: Vikings won’t name starting QB leading up to Packers game

That’s the unanswered question the Vikings will have to figure out before Sunday night’s nationally-televised matchup against the Green Bay Packers, when they’ll be making the regular season debut inside the new and luminous U.S. Bank Stadium.

Head coach Mike Zimmer said he will not publicly name a starter, just as he didn’t last week before Shaun Hill started the season opener in Tennessee.

“I just figured it’d be good for sports talk radio,” Zimmer said Monday, in jest.

He added the decision has not been made.

Fantasy Impact:
Given what the team gave up for Bradford, the story concluded that whenever the team deems him ready he’s likely going to be in there.

NYG: Giants WR Victor Cruz gets full workload in return

Giants coach Ben McAdoo had no intention of easing receiver Victor Cruz back into the lineup after a nearly two-year layoff.

“There’s no dipping your toe in,” McAdoo said on Friday. “We’re full bore, ready to go.”

McAdoo was true to his word, playing Cruz for 50 of 56 offensive snaps in Sunday’s season-opening 20-19 win over the Cowboys. Cruz only logged 38 snaps in two preseason games.

Fantasy Impact:
Cruz had played in every snap on Sunday until the Giants’ final drive when Tavarres King was inserted at receiver as the team tried to kill the clock with seven straight runs. Cruz caught a TD in his return and appears on track to be a big part of the team’s offense with Odell Beckham and Sterling Shepard.

DEN: Broncos WR Demaryius Thomas expected back to practice Wednesday

Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas did not practice Monday morning, but is expected to return to practice Wednesday, Head Coach Gary Kubiak said at his press conference as the Broncos returned from an off weekend following the Thursday night win over Carolina.

Fantasy Impact:
Kubiak said the team rested Thomas on Monday but expected him to be back at practice Wednesday. Kubiak added Thomas was “feeling pretty good” Monday. He looks like he’ll be good for Week 2.

CAR: QB Cam Newton showing no signs of concussion

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has shown no symptoms of a concussion in the aftermath of Thursday’s opener against Denver that would prevent him from playing in Sunday’s home opener against San Francisco.

Fantasy Impact:
Newton took a helmet to helmet hit that wasn’t called. Rivera added he’s only sore from the game, but was moving around good on Monday, so it’s good news for owners he’s on track to play in Week 2.

SD: Chargers RB Melvin Gordon only gets 6 second half touches

So with a big Chargers lead on the road, it’s time to hand the ball to RB Melvin Gordon and grind clock, right?

Wrong. Gordon had just six touches for 19 yards in the second half. Instead of using run-heavy formations and forcing the Chiefs to stop an effective Gordon, the Chargers tried to spread the field, running shotgun on 28 of 39 plays in the second half.

Asked why the Chargers went away from what they executed in the first half, right tackle Joe Barksdale wisely said: “I’m going to pass on that one.”

Fantasy Impact:
Gordon played a total of 23 snaps, while change-of-pace back Danny Woodhead totaled 50. For the game, Chargers ran 49 of 73 plays from shotgun. The story speculated maybe the team was bringing back Gordon slowly, or perhaps remember his six fumbles from a year ago. With WR Keenan Allen likely lost for the season, it looks like the team may have to rely on Gordon and the run game a little more.

SD: Chargers place WR Keenan Allen on IR

Chargers WR Keenan Allen has been placed on injured reserve after suffering a knee injury yesterday, while Joey Bosa has been placed on the 53-man roster.

Fantasy Impact:
Technically, Allen could still end up getting the return designation, under the new rule that allows a team to declare after a player has been on injured reserve for six weeks that he will return. But from all indications the injury was season-ending.

CLE: Browns place QB Robert Griffin III on IR

The Browns placed quarterback Robert Griffin III on injured reserve Monday, a day after he suffered a shoulder injury in a fourth quarter collision with Eagles cornerback Jalen Mills.

The team’s statement on the move said Griffin has a fractured coracoid bone in his left shoulder. It said no surgery is required at this time and that Griffin will be evaluated again in 3-4 weeks.

Per the NFL’s injured reserve rules, the earliest he could return is Week 10.

Fantasy Impact:
Tough blow for RG3 and the Browns, but if there’s one thing Josh McCown has, it’s experience. The 37-year-old has started 57 games in his 13-year career and had his two best seasons in 2013 and 2015, posting a 13-to-1 TD-to-INT ratio with the Bears (under Marc Trestman) and a solid 12-to-4 ratio last year in eight starts for the Browns. Things are looking up for TE Gary Barnidge, who averaged 5.8-80-0.75 with McCown last year. It should also boost the value of RB Duke Johnson‘s targets, since McCown is less likely (than RG3) to take off and run when the pocket breaks down. Johnson averaged 4.8-44-0.12 with McCown last year versus 3.0-23-.12 without.

WAS: Skins WR Josh Doctson expected to play on MNF

The Achilles injury that kept Redskins rookie Josh Doctson on the sidelines for most of the offseason improved enough over the last week that the receiver took part in multiple practices after sitting out all of training camp and the preseason. Now, it seems the injury might be healed to the point Doctson can play Monday night against the Steelers.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network has reported that Docston will suit up for the game.

Fantasy Impact:
Overall, Doctson is probably a little behind so it’s hard to imagine he’ll have a huge role in Week 1, especially with DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon and Jamison Crowder. But it’s a good sign he made it back and he’ll likely become more involved as the season goes on.

CLE: Robert Griffin III (shoulder) could be out ‘for awhile’

Browns Robert Griffin III could be out for awhile with his left shoulder injury suffered in Sunday’s 29-10 loss to the Eagles, a league source said.

Griffin underwent an MRI on the shoulder Monday.

Peter Schrager of Fox Sports and NFL Network first reported that Griffin could be out awhile.

Fantasy Impact: Josh McCown is set to get the nod. After the game, Griffin moved slowly and admitted he was in pain after the game, the story said. The Browns offense hit a couple of big plays in Week 1 against a pretty good Eagles defense but overall struggled to finish drives and also had some drops. Josh Gordon should provide a boost with his return in Week 5.

JAC: Jags RB Chris Ivory still hospitalized, in pain

Jaguars running back Chris Ivory wasn’t in the lineup for Sunday’s opener against the Packers because he was admitted to the hospital on Sunday morning.

The Jaguars announced that Ivory is dealing with a “general medical issue” and Adam Schefter of ESPN reports on Monday that Ivory remains hospitalized. Per Schefter, Ivory is “in pain” and more tests are being done by doctors to come up with a treatment plan.

Fantasy Impact:
Ivory’s football status will obviously remain uncertain until his medical condition is under control. Sources told PFT on Sunday that the expectation is that he “should be fine,” the story said. T.J. Yeldon got a large majority of the work at running back with Ivory out of the lineup. He ran 21 times for 39 yards and a touchdown and caught four passes for 30 yards.

SEA: Carroll: Russell Wilson’s ankle ‘nothing very serious’

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, during his weekly interview on 710 ESPN, said that quarterback Russell Wilson’s sprained ankle was “nothing very serious.”

“He’s all fine there,” Carroll said, via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. “A little bit of swelling but he’ll make it through.”

Fantasy Impact:
Carroll suggested that Wilson might miss some practice time, but indicated that he wouldn’t miss a game. Trevone Boykin is the only other QB on the team’s roster. As we pointed out earlier Monday in a story from ESPN, even if Wilson plays the Seahawks may have to tweak their playcalling a bit as Wilson is not expected to be as mobile as usual.

PHI: Eagles TE Zach Ertz has displaced rib, week-to-week

Sunday’s opener went well for the Eagles overall, but tight end Zach Ertz did emerge with an injury that could keep him out of the lineup for a little while.

Eagles coach Doug Pederson said at a Monday press conference that Ertz suffered a displaced rib under his collarbone during the victory over the Browns. Pederson described Ertz as “week-to-week” and said that his return to the lineup will be up to when he’s cleared by doctors rather than his ability to tolerate any pain resulting from the injury.

Fantasy Impact:
Ertz had six catches for 58 yards on Sunday. Brent Celek was the only other tight end active with Trey Burton inactive with a calf injury, so the Eagles may need to bring in someone else at the position. If Burton can get on the field for Week 2, he could be a sneaky pickup at the position as the team is on record as liking his offensive skills.

KC: Chiefs Beat: May be difficult to bump RB Spencer Ware from lineup

Chiefs RB Spencer Ware had seven catches for 129 yards against the Chargers. Combined with his 6.4-yards-per-carry average on Sunday, that type of versatility will make him difficult for the Chiefs to bump from the lineup, even when Jamaal Charles returns.

“He brings a lot of energy and he’s an emotional player,’’ coach Andy Reid said. “He has a knack for making plays when you need them.’’

Fantasy Impact:
This was a concern for Charles owners even before Week 1. With the team having two proven NFL backs in Ware and Charcandrick West in the fold behind Charles, it seems unlikely the team will go back to giving Charles a huge workload every week coming off an injury even when he’s healthy.

KC: Chief RBs Spencer Ware, Charcandrick West even in Week 1 snaps

Chief running backs Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West had an even number of snaps—34 (48 percent). Ware led the Chiefs in both yards rushing (70) and yards receiving (129) on the day.

Fantasy Impact:
Ware was the more productive back of the two despite the snaps being even. We stated before Week 1 we weren’t too concerned with Ware being listed third on the depth chart. The split will likely continue if Jamaal Charles remains out of the lineup but Ware seems to be the back to own here with Charles injured.

CAR: Panthers WR Kelvin Benjamin back to being top target

Perhaps lost in the 21-20 loss and the violent helmet-to-helmet hits to quarterback Cam Newton was the successful return of WR Kelvin Benjamin.

The 6-foot-5, 245-pound receiver made his presence known early, catching two passes on Carolina’s opening drive. The second was a 14-yard touchdown over the middle in which Benjamin used his size to create an easy target for Newton.

Fantasy Impact:
Benjamin finished with six catches for 91 yards and a touchdown on a team-high 12 targets. There was lots of talk in the offseason about how Newton still wanted to spread the ball even with Benjamin back, something that led to a successful run in 2015. But that wasn’t the case in Week 1 where Benjamin by far had more catches than any other WR.

BUF: Bills WR Sammy Watkins (foot) could be shut down

Bills star wide receiver Sammy Watkins is playing with severe discomfort in his surgically repaired foot, the Daily News has learned. X-rays taken after the Bills season-opening loss to the Ravens on Sunday did not reveal another break, according to a person familiar with the situation, but Watkins is far from out of the woods.

Fantasy Impact:
The feeling now is whether Watkins can manage the pain in his foot, the story said. There was a thought Sunday night that he could miss the rest of the season. Medical personnel have informed Watkins and the team that there is no surgical remedy for the issue at this time. It’s possible, however, that Watkins could be shut down for several weeks, or possibly longer, depending on how his foot responds. The loss of Watkins would be a big blow to Tyrod Taylor’s upside and effectiveness, as the Bills are pretty short on playmakers in the passing game if Watkins is sidelined. Robert Woods might become startable in deeper leagues, while Charles Clay would also likely see a good portion of Watkins’ targets.

SEA: Russell Wilson injury could cause tweak in Seattle’s playcalling

The Seahawks admitted they had to call the game differently after the QB Russell Wilson injury.

“We looked after him a little bit,” HC Pete Carroll said. “We weren’t sure what he could do, and we didn’t want to tax him too much. We kept him in the pocket more than normal, just to make sure that we didn’t force him to go.”

Fantasy Impact:
Wilson said in the story he’s comfortable playing in the pocket, but with the recent news his ankle injury is significant, his status for Week 2 is now in question. If he plays, he likely won’t be 100-percent and the Seahawks could be forced to run more and rely more on Wilson’s arm instead of his athleticism.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has a “significant” right ankle injury and his availability to play in Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams has been put into question, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.

Wilson was injured in the third quarter of Seattle’s 12–10 victory over the Miami Dolphins when he was sacked by Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Wilson did not miss any snaps in the game.

Fantasy Impact:
After the game Wilson said he would be fine with treatment and expected to play Week 2, but as can be typical with ankle injuries, it likely swelled up after the tape came off. Trevone Boykin is behind Wilson in the pecking order and he obviously downgrades any Seattle passing options. Owners may want to start looking at a backup plan for Week 2.

SD: WR Tyrell Williams could benefit most after Keenan Allen loss

Speed receiver Travis Benjamin is the most likely candidate to get a bump in targets because of his past production in the league. Not only can Philip Rivers target Benjamin on vertical routes, but he also should get some looks on screens and crossing routes where he can use his quickness and speed.

Dontrelle Inman is a veteran who’s been in San Diego’s system for three seasons, earning the trust of Rivers.

But the player who could benefit the most is Tyrell Williams. The second-year pro finished with two receptions for 71 yards against the Chiefs.

Fantasy Impact:
Like Allen, at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, Williams is a big-bodied receiver with good speed and lateral quickness who offers a big target for Rivers, the story said. Williams got a lot of positive press throughout camp and one has to figure he’ll be next up to get a chance. He seems worth a claim off the wire if you’re looking for help at the position.

NYJ: Jets RB Matt Forte accounts for 45-percent of team’s yards

The Jets ran 66 offensive plays for 340 yards. RB Matt Forte had 22 rushes for 96 yards and five catches (on seven targets) for 59 yards. So he accounted for 40 percent of the Jets’ offensive touches Sunday and 45 percent of their yards.

Forte had 18 more carries than No. 2 running back Bilal Powell, who also had two catches, for six total touches.

Fantasy Impact:
The story said the Jets will need to be mindful about keeping Forte fresh, especially on short weeks like the one they’re about to encounter, as they prepare for Thursday night’s game at Buffalo. Forte, 30, entered this season with 2,577 career touches, in the regular season and playoffs. The story added that it’s still possible the Forte-Powell split is more even going forward, but added Forte looked pretty good getting a bulk of the work.

AZ: Cards WR Larry Fitzgerald dismisses retirement report

Receiver Larry Fitzgerald dismissed a report by NFL Network on Sunday that he was telling people close to him that he would retire after this season.

“I don’t talk about the future,” he said. “I don’t even know what I am having for dinner tonight, let alone what I am doing next year.”

During training camp, Fitzgerald signed a one-year contract extension through the 2017 season.

“I signed another year for a reason,” he said after the loss to the Patriots. “I believe in what we are doing here, and Michael Bidwill (team president) is doing everything he can to put us in position to win. That is where my mindset is at. What I am doing next year is of no importance. This is the year, and I want to make sure it is a great one.”

Fantasy Impact:
Fitzgerald looked good in Week 1, catching two TD passes, the 99th and 100th of his career. Perhaps a Super Bowl win would temp Fitzgerald to call it quits at the end of this year, but at least for now he’s poised for a pretty good fantasy season.

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